Atlanta Falcons Season 2015 Game Reviews

Read Atlanta Falcons season 2015 game reviews and relive the best moments of the Falcons’ NFL Season 2015. If you are looking for more recent games, click here to find Atlanta Falcons game reviews of NFL season 2016.

Atlanta Falcons NFL season 2015 recap

Despite finishing second in their division (NFC South) with a record of 8-8, the Falcons missed the playoffs. They finished 1-5 in their division, but did manage to beat the Panthers by seven points (20-13) in week sixteen of the season. This was the only game that the Panthers lost all season. The Falcons finished tied for seventeenth for best record with the Colts and Bills in the NFL.

The Falcons finished seventh in the league for total offensive yardage with an 374.1 yards per game, and finished sixth in passing yards with an average of 273.7 yards per game.

Matt Ryan completed 407 of his 614 attempts, throwing for 4,591 yards, 21 touchdowns, sixteen interceptions on the season. His backup, Sean Renfree saw some action in the first game the Falcons played against the Panthers this year, a game they lost 38-0. Ryan was pulled in this game, and Renfree completed three passes after seven attempts, throwing an interception, no touchdowns and eleven yards.

Running back Devonta Freeman rushed for 1,056 yards on 265 carries (four yards per carry) with eleven touchdowns. Wide receiver Julio Jones was a favorite target of Matt Ryan. Of Ryan’s 407 completions, 136 were caught by Jones, and Jones turned those catches into 1,871 yards (13.8 yards per catch), eight touchdowns, and a longest catch of seventy yards.

NFL Week 17: Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints on Sunday, January 03, 1:00 PM, Georgia Dome

A big game that promised to start off 2016 in style was that of Saints at Falcons. This was a much awaited event with anxiety growing amongst the fans. However the Saints proved their might by beating the Falcons thoroughly. The Falcons poor defense gave a chance to the saints who wasted no time in exploiting the opportunity. The saints calculated their moves and executed a mission after another all proving successful. At the end of the game it was clear that the saints had left a mark at the Georgia Dome.

With the final score at 20-17 in favor of Saints, it was clear that the wits and skills all combined had successfully bore fruits. However sporting being unpredictable, all we wait to see is what they have in store next. However all the Saints’ fans are optimistic that the future holds even better times. Time being the ultimate test; we are all keen to see if the start of the race has any signals on the progress and the end of the same race. All said and done, we may the best team grab the NFL 2016 win.

NFL Week 16: Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers on Sunday, December 27, 1:00 PM, Georgia Dome

Quarterback Matt Ryan had an unenviable task in front of him when he led the Atlanta Falcons onto the field against the Carolina Panthers who have been undefeated this season. In what turned out to be a very low scoring game, Ryan led his squad to a narrow 20-13 victory to end the Panthers’ perfect season and to send a message to the division that it’s too early to count out Atlanta in the championship hunt.

There will be very little doubt that Carolina quarterback Cam Newton must be considered for top honors in this role this season, but stellar efforts by Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman gave Falcons fans a glimpse of the championship winning team that has hoisted the Super Bowl in the past … and could again. Jones’ seventy yard catch and follow through to the goal line was a textbook performance that is sure to be reviewed repeatedly.

The Panthers started strong, but were ineffective once Atlanta started to mount momentum. Perhaps this interruption to an otherwise perfect season will help to re-focus the unit and ensure they don’t stumble due to overconfidence in the weeks still ahead in the season.

NFL Week 15: Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, December 20, 1:00 PM, EverBank Field

This match happened on Sunday 20th at Jacksonville, Florida where the Falcons emerged with a win of 23-17 over the Jaguars. The first half lead of the game was played on a prominence of the running game. Devonta Freeman from Atlanta Falcons led the way with a total of 53 yards and a touchdown. Free man later added 45 yards as well on receptions.

The second half of this game was slightly different as Jacksonville went on to fight as they were in the hunt for the division lead. The Jaguars managed to tie draw the game at 17 after because of Julius Thomas having 6 catches and 79 yards. Allen Robinson added 57 yards with 3 catches and one score. In this game Matt Ryan was focused on Roddy White and Julio Jones. The Falcons managed a FG in the 4th play and went up by 3. Mat Ryan threw wrongly to Justin Hardy on a third down which could have resulted to a touchdown. Hardy ended this game with 3 catches for 36 yards.

NFL Week 14: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers on Sunday, December 13, 1:00 PM, Bank of America Stadium

The Panthers are now three games away from winning every game in the regular season, and have now wrapped up a first round bye in the playoffs. This season, Cam Newton is putting up huge numbers, and doing an impressive job showing just what he can do. This is the best season that that both Cam and the Panthers have had. The Falcons, on the other hand, are towards the bottom of the NFC South (the same division as the Panthers), only the Saints are worse right now. The Falcons have not won a game against a divisional opponent this year.

Matt Ryan completed 22 of his 34 pass attempts throwing for 224 yards, one interception, no touchdown passes, and he fumbled the ball twice, losing one of them.

Cam Newton completed fifteen passes after 21 attempts, throwing for 265 yards, three touchdowns (adding to his 28 for the season), and no interceptions in the win. He has already broken his highest career touchdown passes in a season of 24. As of now, this is the lowest amount of interceptions that he has thrown; his previous low was twelve, which he’s done twice in his career.

The Panthers scored in every quarter, except the fourth; they scored early and often in the game. They scored 21 in the first quarter alone. Even though they scored no points in the fourth, they still scored ten in the second half.

NFL Week 13: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, December 06, 1:00 PM, Raymond James Stadium

The Atlanta Falcons were going against Tampa Bay’s buccaneers at the Raymond James Stadium. It was a tight knit game where both teams were ready to win at all costs. However there is always a winner and a loser. Falcons lost the game to Buccaneers at 19 to 23. The win was all thanks to Jameis Winston who is making his presence felt in the NFL. His last minute goal allowed the falcons to still have a chance in the race to winning the NFC playoffs. It was a 6- yards touchdown pass to Mike Evans.

Their well-known coach Lovie Smith was all smiles as he said that for this game he truly believes the team made a pact and refused to loose.

The rookie Winston who was named NFL offensive rookie of the month in November led the team to victory and with only four games remaining to finish the season, we can only wait to see what more surprises we are in for. The win handed them their third straight division title.

‘If you want it badly enough you can get it’ were one of the team members words for this surprise win.

NFL Week 12: Atlanta Falcons vs Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, November 29, 1:00 PM, Georgia Dome

Vikings had a wonderful 20-10 win over their opponents Falcons. The vikes took a massive win as Adrian Peterson bounced back and forth and ran for 158-yard and Minnesota picked a 10 fourth-quarter which saw them attain their away victory. As for the Atlanta players, Matt Ryan went on with his uneven play and tossed two interceptions including one interception on third and goal.

In the first quarter, Falcons Tevin Coleman running back burst in the secondary. Unfortunately Vikings Linebacker Antony Barr popped the ball after a 46-yard run. Falcons Desmond Trufant defense, was blocked by the receive Wallace from scoring. However, Viking’s Andrew Peterson scored later.

In the second quarter after an interception, Falcon put together 67-yard 15 play that was scrapped by Shane Graham and kicked a 31-yard field goal. Flacons were therefore back in the game with a 7-3.

In the third quarter, Coleman scored a touchdown that would have put the Falcons in 10-7 match result. However, Tight end Tony Moeki was called for pinning on the run’s backside.

During the fourth Quarter, the falcons added a cheap and late touchdown of 1-yard pass. The game ended with a win of Vikings 20 and Falcons 10.

NFL Week 11: Atlanta Falcons vs Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, November 22, 1:00 PM, Georgia Dome

The Colts came from a pair of touchdown deficits to inflict injury on the Atlanta Falcons in a closely contested game. 24 – 21 being the final score in a game that saw the oldest player in the NFL, Adam Vinatieri adding yet another kick that was the winner to his career. With 52 seconds remaining on the clock, the kick sent the Colts to another well deserved victory. Devonta Freeman suffered a concussion earlier on in the game but the Falcons still managed a comfortable and solid lead to the Colts at 14 – 0 as well as 21 – 7. But the second half saw the offence totally humiliated and failed to produce any comeback from all the smashing that they received.

Julio Jones, however, still had a great game yet again making nine passes for the 160 yards. Matt Ryan though was intercepted three times and we can’t say the same for him. Vinatieri though, playing in his 300th NFL game was the savior of the day for the Colts yet again. This means that the Colts are tied in the AFC East for first. This comes despite the heat that has been on Coach Chuck Pagano as well as the front office in lieu of the disappointing season that the team has had.

NFL Week 9: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, November 08, 4:05 PM, Levis Stadium

The San Francisco 49ers fought hard to overcome a gritty Atlanta Falcons side 17-16 in a very closely contested tie. But questions abound in many a fan’s mind: Is it possible that the Falcons under-rated the 49ers? Very possible. Before playing the 49ers, the Falcons had lost only three of their eight games, unlike the 49ers, who had lost a whooping six. It should be noted that this was their second loss in a row, having lost 20-23 to Buccaneers the previous weekend.

This must have been a demoralizing defeat. As for the 49ers, this is a very famous and pivotal victory that could become a turning point for their fortunes this season. Prior to playing the Falcons, they had lost six games, the most recent loss being the one to St Louis Rams, to whom they succumbed 6-27. It is amazing how they picked themselves up speedily to beat the 49ers.

Being their third victory, it could boost the morale in the team for their upcoming assignments, the next one being against the Seattle Seahawks. With two weeks of rest, they should be able to prepare well and conquer the Seahawks.

NFL Week 8: Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, November 01, 1:00 PM, Georgia Dome

In the recent weeks, Tampa bay Buccaneers Bay has been dominating in one statistic especially that is correlated with victory. The Buccaneers did defeat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime with 23-20 on Sunday in the Georgia Dome and thus improved their 2015 record to 3-4. Some of the interesting statistics of the game include the takeaway from Julio Jones whereby Alexander tracked the receiver down and did pull the ball away as Jones tackled and also returned it 20 yards to Atlanta’s 21, counts.

This made the rookie “backer as the first Buccaneer to ever record an interception, and a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the same game. Winston did score the final points for the Buccaneers before overtime after rushing for a four-yard touchdown on third-and-goal during the third quarter. Matt Ryan tied the game for the Falcons on eight-yard touchdown pass to Jones with only seventeen seconds left in regulation. Another sensation event during the game came from Kicker Connor Barth’s thirty-one yard game winning filed during overtime and this was his third successful kick in his three tries during the game.

The three crucial third downs that the Buccaneers converted in the overtime did help the team to finish six-for-13 in that category on Sunday.

NFL Week 7: Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans on Sunday, October 25, 1:00 PM, Nissan Stadium

The Atlanta Falcons beat the Tenessee Titans 10 to 7 in a highly controversial game that saw the Falcoans coach, Dann Quinn call a lot of bad choices on the players side in the game. Though the game could have gone either way, the Falcons had to do a lot of work to maintain their half time 6-1 lead that was really a remarkable feat for them.

Goal line misses was Dann Quinn’s worries for the night which had seen the refs call some pretty controversial calls in the game.It was a really great game for the Falcons and they couldn’t have needed the result any sooner. the result was worth it though their performance was nothing short of dismall. The Titans too were lackluster to say the least on game day and this is what made led to this disappointing loss that they couldn’t afford considering their position at the table in the moment.

Falcons RightBack Devonta Freeman was highly praised for his performance in the game that was just brilliant. This saw him being compared to past greats and I have to say that he really lived up to my expectations and this is mainly due to the fact that he was the man to watch in that game.

NFL Week 6: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints on Thursday, October 15, 8:25 PM, Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Tight end Ben Watson of the New Orleans Saints caught 10 passes for 127 yards including a touchdown in leading the Saints to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons, 31-21. This was the first loss of the season for the Dirty Birds and it was their arch rival Saints who put it on them. New Orleans played its best game of the season to go 2-4.

Mark Ingram of the Saints started the scoring when he ran it in from the 2-yard line after a 12-play, 80-yard drive in the first quarter. The highlight of the game also came in the first quarter when the son of a former Saint, Michael Mauti, blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. The Superdome crowd was reminded of Steve Gleason’s emotional punt block in the first game back in the dome after Katrina, also against the Falcons. The Saints took a 14-7 lead into halftime after Roddy White caught a Matt Ryan pass for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

Drew Brees came out of halftime on fire and led the Saints to 10 points in the 3rd quarter. Davonta Freeman scored two touchdowns in the fourth and Mark Ingram scored another for the Saints to complete the scoring. Freeman had a big game for Atlanta with 100 yards rushing on 13 carries and 8 pass catches for 56 yards.

Brees turned back the clock by going 30/39 for 312 yards. Matt Ryan went 30/44 for 295 but fumbled 3 times, losing 1, and was sacked 5 times. Falcons turned the ball over 3 times on fumbles. Crowd noise seemed to affect the Falcons offense at times.
The Saints defense was led by Dannell Ellerbe with 12 tackles and Cam Jordan pitching in with 3 sacks. The secondary kept Julio Jones in check by limiting him to 93 yards on 6 catches.

It was one of those Saints games where a few plays go their way and, with the home crowd spurring the team on, everything snowballs in their favor. They will have to win a couple more times before observers and fans alike will begin to consider them a threat to make the playoffs.

NFL Week 5: Atlanta Falcons vs Washington Redskins on Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM, Georgia Dome

The Falcons won against the Redskins with a 27-26. Out of the seven Washington turnovers, Falcons scored twenty points and the Redskins came down from turnovers to win the game. Their coach acknowledged that winning from a turnovers was really a hard fight. Despite the heartfelt moments displayed during the game, luck was on the Falcons side who got an advantage from an onside kick sealing their win.

They played a very clinical game utilizing their chances well. They were playing defensively and were only running forward when sure they had the chance to make a touchdown. Despite them not appearing as the best team, their plan, confidence and commitment won them the game. They also had to include someone to replace one of their injured players and the included individual made his first start. In less than six minutes in the game, Falcons were leading 24-20.

In the first half, Redskins were leading in turnovers with four and two for the Falcons. however, in the second quarter, the Redskins were presented with more scoring chances but they never utilized them fully. One Falcons player had a very nice display with about six catches and he became number five in the history of NFL history with 15,000 yards receiving. It is clear from this game that, the Falcons were trying to take the home advantage in favor of their fans.

NFL Week 4: Atlanta Falcons vs Houston Texans on Sunday, October 04, 1:00 PM, Georgia Dome

The Houston Texans went down 1-3 after they were throttled by the Atlanta Falcons. This game has been described by many as the most humiliating defeat for the Texans. It was mostly dominated by the Falcons who took advantage of the missing team work in Texans’ team to stay on top of the game.

The Texans on the other hand had an unfortunate day in the field with some of their players experiencing injuries that would see them leave the game. Despite the presence of the best players such as Cushing, Watt, Clowney, and Wilfork, the missing team link always gave the Falcons an upper hand. They were able to effectively neutralize these players by double-teaming and triple-teaming them making it impossible for them to score. The Texans offense has also been faulted for being too complicated for the players hence the inability to be effective or deliver.

The Texans loss has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth including the coach who personally took the blame for the terrible performance by his team. However, it is hoped that the team will have learnt its mistakes before the next game and avoid yet another humiliating event.

NFL Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 27, 1:00 PM, AT&T Stadium

The Falcons won against Cowboys on their first game by 39-28 without Tony Ramos and Dez Bryant this Sunday at AT&T Stadium..

The highlights of the game were the two touchdowns made bay Julio Jones and Matt Ryan and the three scores and 141 yards ran by Devonta Freeman. The Cowboys seemed in control with an offensive line very in domain and with the defense was keeping up until the end of the first half where the story game took a turn.

With only 40 seconds to play, the Falcons made a score on four possessions, making 25 points and taking the lead of the game from here on.

Cowboy’s defense had no solutions for Freeman’s, who made an incredible 141 yards and 30 carries during the game and Jones was unstoppable with 164 yards and 12 catches, resolving the game with only 3.04 to play by scoring a 2 yard touchdown.

On the second half, Atlanta already had an 11 points advantage and the Cowboys only caught one pass by Beasley.

The Cowboys lost their 11 points advantage and end up losing by also 11 points. The Falcons made an astonishing comeback and turn the game around in a game to remember. Cowboy’s defense failed to stop Falcons massive offensive with incredible performances from Devonta Freeman, Julio Jones and Matt Ryan, the men of the game. Falcon’s team seems to be a serious contender to the play offs, this year.

NFL Week 2: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants on Sunday, September 20, 1:00 PM, MetLife Stadium

Two flawed teams went head to head in this game, one had a win, the other had a loss. Now both teams have 2 of each. The Falcons pulled out a win by the skin of their teeth to go 2-0.

The Falcons outscored the Giants 14-0 in the fourth quarter to pull out this win, including the touchdown that won them the game with under two minutes left in the game. Two plays after a big 37 yard catch from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones, they scored a much needed touchdown to win the game.

The Giants just could not pull out a win and they ended up beating themselves yet again. The momentum had shifted in their favor and had an opportunity to pull ahead 17 points, they wound up blowing their lead in the fourth quarter and losing by 4. Part of the Giants’ problem is their defense allows a lot of third down conversions, forcing many drives to continue.

Just because the Falcons won, doesn’t mean they do not have a lot of work to do moving forward. They just have a have better record starting out and in a division as tough as the NFC South, it could be the difference between watching the playoffs at home and playing in them.

NFL Week 1: Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, September 14, 7:10 PM, Georgia Dome

For now, you and everyone else know about the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback situation. It is among the things that every team would like to have for themselves. Every team would love to be in that position because at times it appears that there is a shortage of really good quarterbacks in the league. However on the contrary, no one would like it on a certain level.

Philadelphia Eagles’ traded one of their greatest quarterbacks in record in the offseason. They now find themselves at 2-1 and with 2 good quarterbacks which are both able to lead the team to good performances. Taking into consideration the players in that position, it becomes hard not knowing what the future holds. It appears that the Michael Vick experiment will continue in Philadelphia for now.

Michael Vick is a great player who attacks the opposing team on the ground or through the air. He is always surrounded with opponents during his entire time and each time they help him become the player he is now. It was a good idea for Michael Vick to the start beside a lot of talk during the week regarding whether he should.

It may be clearly shown by an Atlanta Falcons quiz how the rising success Philadelphia Eagles had in the early twenty first century which was largely based on their 2001 draft’s first round pick. Michael Vick is the player they would draft who would go on to be among the most controversial in the NFL in the last decade, quarterback.

Follow this link to find out how Atlanta Falcons did in NFL season 2014.